


Drunk in Flames of Memories

by partialee20



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Don't hate me for this, F/M, M/M, and post season 4, but mostly pre-season 5, probs gonna try to incorporate the events of season 5 into my work
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-04
Updated: 2019-01-27
Packaged: 2019-04-18 08:39:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 14,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14209341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/partialee20/pseuds/partialee20
Summary: What if the Garrison had sent a scout pilot to Kerberos before the main team? What if Shiro knew her? What if she was erased?





	1. But First, A Flashback

**Author's Note:**

> This chapter starts with a flashback. Obviously introducing my OC (no names. Not yet) and starts off months after the season 4 finale. The paladins, except Allura, start warming up to Lotor, but continue to be cautious around him. Shiro has a nightmare.

“I’ll wait for you up there,” the young woman said as she sat down beside Shiro.

“Yeah?” Shiro replied still looking up the stars. It was late into the night and he couldn’t sleep. Watching the stars helped keep his thoughts at bay.

“Yeah,” she sat beside him and took his hand, “I can’t wait till we both get to explore space together.” She smiled.

He looked at her as she brushed her hair from her face. Even in the dim light, he could still see her whiskey brown eyes staring back at him. Shiro leaned in to kiss her.

“What was that for?” she asked, not being able to keep herself from blushing furiously, “it’s not like we won’t see each other forever.” _A lie._

“Aren’t you nervous? About tomorrow?” Shiro couldn’t understand how she was so calm. It would be the first time for anyone to venture to Kerberos. And worse, she’d be doing it alone. Shouldn’t she be nervous? Scared? Terrified? He and his team would follow soon after she transmitted details the crew needed. She was the best pilot he knew, but still…

“Is that what’s keeping you up and staring at the stars?” she chuckled.

Shiro couldn’t understand this woman, why was she laughing? It wasn’t funny at all.

She smiled, “I don’t know how the trip will go, if I’ll make it there, if I’ll survive out there. I’ll be alone, but that’s not what scares me.”

Shiro furrowed his brows. Confused. “I don’t understand. How could that not scare you?”

She turned to face the stars and let out a deep sigh, “Only a little. Sure. I’m more afraid of not being able to return. You know? What’s the point of accomplishing my mission if I don’t return? And what then? Will anyone come to my rescue? Will anyone continue to look for me if I disappear? Or will I just be forgotten and declared dead?”

Shiro bit his lip and looked at her. Of course she was scared. How could he be an idiot? Anyone in their right mind would be more afraid of not being able to return. Even he was. He put his arms around her and pulled her into a tight hug. “I’ll rescue you. I promise.”

She hugged him back and buried her face into his chest so he couldn’t see the tears clouding her eyes. “I know you will,” she said, but she knew. _That’s not possible._  

* * *

 

It had been months since Haggar tried to blow them up and Lotor decided to “join” their side, but the paladins still did not trust the exiled prince. They all sat around the dining table and ate their meal as Lotor walked up to his seat and slammed his cuffs onto the table.

“There is no need for all these…security measures,” he said as the paladins turned to face him. “I think I’ve proven myself trustworthy in the time that I have stayed here as your guest. Perhaps I could at least move about without these around my hands?” The Galra Prince stated as he lifted up his cuffed hands.

The paladins turned to look at Allura who appeared to continue eating. Ever since they had captured Lotor, Allura refused to allow him to be treated as a guest –a possible ally, even. “I know you’re all looking at me for confirmation,” she stated, finishing her meal and looking up, “but I will not have a Galra prisoner roam around my castle. Especially that Galra.” She narrowed her eyes at Lotor who was staring at the food on the table.

“Princess, we know he’s not to be trusted, but it has been months and he hasn’t tried anything. I mean, look at him, he looks like he just wants to eat a decent meal. I mean. I can’t blame him. We haven’t exactly given him the best of meals even if we already moved him to eating with us on the dining table, but still-“

“Hunk,” Allura interrupted. She knew the yellow paladin only meant well. He was the softest of the bunch, despite being the biggest. But she still didn’t trust Lotor. Not enough to remove his hand cuffs. She already took off the cuffs around his feet and had him moved to a more comfortable cell. She even agreed to let him dine with them, but…

“We’ll remove his cuffs.” Everyone turned around to see Shiro who had just arrived at the dining table. They all blinked.

“Excu-“ Allura started, but Shiro continued to speak.

“We’ll remove his cuffs, but only during a thirty minute break from his cell per shift. So aside from bathroom breaks and meal times, we’ll also be supervising him during his breaks. That should be enough, yeah?” Shiro stated. He looked at Lotor, the other paladins, and then at Allura and Coran. He knew Allura wouldn’t like his idea, but he also knew that Lotor needed to start trusting them if he were really there to aid them. Either way, they needed to start getting something out of the Galra Prince.

“Fine,” Allura re;uctantly agreed, “But I still want to be excused from watching over him. I don’t think I’ll be able to hold myself back if he tries anything.”

“Alright,” Shiro agreed. At least Allura didn’t have to argue with him this time, “So we’ll continue with the arrangements last time: Matt and I will take the evening shifts, Coran and Lance will take the morning shifts, and Hunk and Pidge will take the afternoon shifts. And Keith…”

“I’ll help out whenever I’m here,” Keith quickly added. Ever since he started joining the Blades of Marmora, Keith was barely seen in the castle. Still, whenever he was able to visit the castle, he helped out the best he could. It still didn’t stop Lance from challenging him in as many ways –no matter how petty –as possible.

“Then it’s settled then,” Shiro turned to look at Coran, “let’s start today.”

Once Lotor was uncuffed, he rubbed his wrists and took a seat between Coran and Hunk. “My greatest thanks, Black Paladin,” he took a small bow and quickly turned to devour his meal. He really had been starving.

“Well, I guess it’s good he likes Coran’s recipes,” Hunk said, amused.

* * *

“Takashi?” A voice said. “Takashi?” It sounded…lost? Afraid? No. _Terrified._

“Who’s there?” Shiro replied. He was back at his Galra cell. _No. This can’t be. He escaped. This is a dream._

“Takashi!” _That voice._

“I’m here! Where are you!” He didn’t know why he trusted that voice. But it sounded familiar. Right? Or was it from his being the Black Paladin that he just had to save that voice. Shiro kept running. Turning at every corner. He couldn’t figure out where the voice was coming from. But he knew he had to. He had to find it. He had to find her.

“TAKASHI!” Shiro jolted. He was back in his room. No. Not his room. He scanned around him. Panic started to surface again.

“Nightmare, Black Paladin?” Shiro jumped at Lotor’s voice. He was sitting on his bed; arms crossed and staring into space. A glass wall was separating him and his cell from the watch room. Aside from the breaks he was given, Lotor was not cuffed in his own cell.

Shiro paused, slowly letting in his surrounds. It was his shift to watch over Lotor. And he had fallen asleep. “It’s nothing,” he tried to regulate his breathing.

“Oh, you’re awake,” Matt stood from the desk. He had been working on something and let Shiro sleep for a while. “Everything okay, bud?” He set his work aside and sat beside Shiro.

“You let me sleep,” Shiro replied. He didn’t want Matt to know about his nightmare. Not yet.

“You looked like you needed it. Rest well?” Matt put a hand on his shoulder. He was worried. Pidge had told him how little sleep Shiro got. It wasn’t like he had the best sleep either, Pidge too, but Shiro looked like he never had actual rest.

“Yeah…yeah, I guess.”

“You could tell me you know, about the nightmares.” Shiro turned to look at Matt.

He knew he only meant well and was concerned, but he still couldn’t bring himself to tell Matt. Especially with Lotor around. “Maybe next time.”

“Sure,” Matt said, “I guess, with Lotor here, it would be weird.” He stood and walked back to his desk.

“I can hear you both perfectly well,” Lotor replied, still in the same position. Then he whispered to himself, “Although, I would not mind hearing about the nightmares that bother the Black Paladin. It did sound like he was worried for _someone_.”


	2. Uncertainties

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge and Hunk decide to take Lotor to his ship during his thirty minute break so they could learn more about it. Allura catches them. It obviously doesn’t go so well. Shiro tries to cheer up the two paladins. Another nightmare ensues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2! I've had this and a couple of other chapters already written down, which is why I can keep up with posting regularly. However, school's getting a bit busy so by the time the chapters catch up to the present one I'm working on, posting might get a little laggy. I do hope you all enjoy. or appreciate this story. :)

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Lotor warned Pidge. She decided to spend the thirty minute no-cuffs break watching over him while working on her examinations of his ship. Hunk, being the curious engineer he is, quickly agreed with Pidge and took turns watching over Lotor and working on the ship.

“OW!” Pidge squealed, “What is it with you Galra and your quiznacking wiring?!” Although hacking into the Galra’s systems were getting easier, she had a lot to learn with how the Galra constructed their tech. There may be similarities with Altean and Earth tech, but that did not stop her from wanting to learn more especially when she realized how quick at adapting improvements the Galras were.

“You okay Pidge? Need me to get the first aid?” Hunk said, already setting a first aid kit next to her still careful to keep an arm’s reach distance from Lotor.

“I’m good. Just a little SHOCKED,” Pidge giggled. She loved puns, despite getting hurt for one.

“Ughhhhh,” Hunk groaned, but he still couldn’t help but smile at the pun. “That’s so lame, Pidge.”

“I get it,” Lotor said. He was sitting on one of the crates with his legs crossed and hands on his lap (It was the condition Hunk and Pidge gave him. That, and the device Pidge set up to keep him practically glued onto the crate)*. “It’s because you were _shocked_ by the current. _Electrified._ ” He looked very pleased with himself.

Pidge looked at Lotor then back at Hunk. “We really need to start teaching him about great puns.”

“Agreed.”

“What do you think you’re doing?!” a loud voice suddenly entered the room. Judging by the accent and tone, Lotor could tell it was Allura. He grinned.

“Allura…we can explain,” Hunk started. Pidge had decided to hide behind Hunk’s back and let him deal with the furious Altean. “We-“

“They asked if I could teach them a little about the construction of my ship,” Lotor finished. He still sat cross-legged on his crate and struggled to turn toward Allura. “Don’t worry, Princess, the Green Paladin was careful to make sure I wouldn’t move about freely, even with my cuffs off.”

Allura continued to ignore Lotor and stepped closer to Hunk, “I will not allow our _prisoner_ to be anywhere near his ship again. Understood? It’s too _risky._ What if he disarms the both of you and drive off into space to contact the others and tell them all he knows about us and this castle?”

Hunk and Pidge dropped their gaze, “Yes, ma’am.”

“Good. Now bring him back to his cell,” Allura ordered.

“But his thirty minute break isn’t-“

“Cell. Now.” There was no convincing Allura otherwise.

Pidge walked over toward Lotor and put on his cuffs, “Sorry.” She mumbled and turned off the device so that Lotor could get up.

“Do not fret, Green Paladin.”

As Hunk, Pidge, and Lotor exited the hangar, Shiro bumped into the trio. “What’s going on?” His eyes landed on Lotor.

“Allura caught us bringing Lotor to the hangar where his ship was being docked. We only wanted to learn more about the ship, Shiro. Please don’t be mad at us. We won’t do it again. We just needed Lotor to explain some of the stuff to us since he built the ship. It’s not like we were going to let him anywhere near the ship, let alone touch it. Honestly-“

“It’s okay, Pidge, I understand. But I hope you both won’t do it again. It’s too risky,” Shiro looked at the two paladins. They were obviously guilty and he didn’t want to add to the feeling that Allura gave them. “If you need to ask Lotor questions, you should gather them up after finishing your examination and give them to me. I’ll let him record the answers during my shift so you both can work on it during the morning.”

“Thank you, Shiro!” the two enthusiastically said. He waved them goodbye as they headed back to Lotor’s cell. Before they turned a corner, he caught Lotor looking back at him. He looked… _grateful?_

“Oh, Shiro, what brings you here?”

Shiro turned around to see Allura coming out of the hangar. “I was on my way to Black’s hangar. Do some more bonding. And then I ran into Pidge and Hunk. I know you already told them off, and I gave them a second warning too, but you should really start trying to talk to Lotor. We all tried to get him to talk, but he insists on telling you more.”

Allura let out a deep breath and wrapped her arms around herself. She knew Shiro was right, but it was difficult to keep her calm around Lotor. She easily blew up at the slightest moment Lotor did not seem serious. She hated that she wasn’t as patient with him as the rest of the team, but she had to start trying. “Perhaps I could try, but only while he’s in his cell. It should keep me from strangling him.”

“That could be a start. Just be sure to inform whoever’s in charge of the shift that you’ll be visiting. I’m sure they’ll want to prepare to help you out,” he reassured her. “I’ll take Black out for a ride. Bonding activity,” Shiro pat Allura’s shoulder as farewell and continued walking toward the Black Lion’s hangar. He needed to clear his head out.

* * *

Shiro sighed. Despite travelling to the different ends of the galaxy, he could never get tired of just watching the stars. He did, however, miss looking at Earth’s stars. _Why did he miss it? Earth. He could barely remember his time there and yet…_

“Takashi?” _That voice. Why was that voice here? He wasn’t dreaming. He was inside Black. A flash of red. Fire? No. It looked too soft. Too flowing. Hair?_

“Takashi?” _There it was. It belonged to a woman. Brown. Whiskey brown. Why did he associate that? He couldn’t recognize it, and yet…_

“SHIRO!”

Shiro startled awake. He had zoned out. “Yeah?” He opened the communicator. It was Lance.

“Dude! We’ve been trying to contact you! What the quiznak! Are you okay?! Where are you?! It’s time for your shift. Don’t tell me you’ve been sneaking around looking for girls to-“

“ALRIGHT, Lance. I heard you. I’m heading back now,” Shiro grumbled. He turned off the communicator and took a deep breath. _What’s happening to me._

* * *

 

“Here’s the list of questions Hunk and I came up with after examining the first half of the ship. We didn’t want to bombard him with too many all at once so we decided to divide the ship into two. Well, not _literally,_ but you know-“

“Yes, Pidge, I got it. I’ll give these to him and I’ll record him. Just like I promised,” Shiro could barely keep up with Pidge’s rambling and was thankful to spot Matt come in. _Help me,_ he silently pleaded.

“Alright, little sis. Time to get some beauty sleep. But in your case, you need some growth sleep. How on Earth will you reach stuff if you don’t grow any taller?” Matt said as he ruffled his sister’s hair and continued to push her out of the watch room. “Goodnight my Pidgeon!” he shouted as he shut the door.

“The Green one is quite talkative is she not?” Lotor remarked.

“She is,” Shiro replied. He handed Matt the drive that contained Hunk and Pidge’s questions so he could start questioning Lotor for the two.

“Is she the _someone_?”

Shiro coughed and looked at Matt who dropped the mug he was sipping from.

“WHAT, “ Matt spout out.

“Matt-” Shiro tried to explain, but was quickly interrupted by Lotor.

“The Black Paladin appears to be having nightmares of _someone._ I figured I would start asking if it were the Green one especially with the way he dealt with her a while ago,” Lotor shamelessly said. He obviously needed a pastime and it appeared that getting into the paladins’ businesses was one of them.

“DEALT WITH HER? “ Matt tried to keep his cool, but he was obviously losing it. He walked over to Shiro and grabbed his shoulder, pulling him closer. “SHIRO.”

“IT'S NOT LIKE THAT,” Shiro panicked. Matt was a nice person, but when it came to his sister, he could be…. intense. He took a deep breath. “Allura caught Pidge and Hunk bringing Lotor to the hangar where his ship was stored. She got pissed so she told them off. I ran into them and told them off a second time but I promised to give Lotor their questions to stop them from doing the same thing again. You know how curiosity gets those two to do things.”

Matt let go of Shiro and walked over to Lotor who was sitting calmly on a chair he moved closer to the glass wall for the question and answer event. “DON'T ever give me a panic attack like that.”

“I meant no harm, Matthew. It was purely out of curiosity. However, the Black Paladin still has not answered my question.” Lotor said as he changed his view of direction toward Shiro. Matt followed.

“Well? “ They both said.

Shiro blinked twice. He couldn't believe his best friend was taking the side of this Galra and ganging up to him. He loved Katie, but not in that way. She was someone to him the same way she was someone to Matt. But she wasn't _someone._ At least, not the _someone_ who kept creeping into his dreams. _And now his consciousness._

“No,” he finally replied, “it's not Katie.”

“Who is it then?” Matt followed up. There was a look in his eyes.

_Did he know? Impossible. He didn't even tell Matt about his nightmare. But Lotor mentioned he had one about someone. Could Matt have an idea?_

“I'm not sure… “

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *the device thingo is basically one that attaches you to a surface which, in Lotor’s case, is a crate. Pidge originally designed the device so she could stick herself and her tools onto the surface of the castle while she did repairs on the exterior then later configured it so she could keep Lotor from standing up and walking around in the case she and Hunk got too preoccupied in their work. Too bad Allura caught them. She'll have to use it for other circumstances then.  
> I'm not gonna write it in the next chapter, and neither did I include it here, but if y’all wondering. Lotor did answer all of the questions prepared for him and even gave diagrams. Matt joined in and eventually the two made a vlog of some sort concerning Lotor’s ship. Shiro couldn't understand a thing.


	3. Terms and Conditions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allura and Lotor compromise on an agreement. Shiro opens up to Matt.

Allura paced the floor. It had been two weeks since they had agreed on giving Lotor his thirty minute no-cuffs break. She was nervous. Coran had given her a talk on how she should start discussing plans with Lotor. She couldn’t keep giving excuses anymore. It was time to face him and start working with him. _If he really had turned to the good side._ They were nearing a Gala outpost. It could be a chance for Lotor to prove himself.

 

“Ready, Princess?” Lance smiled. He placed his hands on Allura’s shoulders to calm her. It was his and Coran’s shift to watch over Lotor.

 

The Princess felt much better with a fellow Altean near her when she had to face the Galran prince. Coran was her father figure and he knew how she felt, too. She breathed in, “Ready.”

 

“Ah, Princess,” Lotor greeted. He had just finished answering the fourth set of questions Hunk and Pidge had left for him. “I believe we have a few things to discuss.”

 

“I believe so, too,” Allura sat down. “But first, why have you decided to come to our side?”

 

Lotor cocked a brow, a playful smile forming on his lips, “Of course you’d like to know that.” He cleared his throat,  “I simply came to your side because my generals decided to turn on me. I want nothing more than to fulfill my own set of plans which, mind you, are nothing like my father’s. I have a much more...democratic way of ruling. So to speak.”

 

“You still want to rule the galaxy?” Allura snapped. _Deep breaths. She couldn’t let her emotions get the best of her._

 

“That is one way of putting it,” Lotor replied, “Obviously, I cannot do that with my _father_ still terrorizing the galaxy. If you had not noticed, I gave leaders the freedom to rule their own land. As long as they pledged their allegiance to me. That’s all I ask. _Allegiance._ ”

 

“I see,” Allura stood from her chair. Coran and Lance looked at her, worry in their eyes. Her tone must have been sharper than she wanted to let out. She walked toward the glass, careful to keep her emotions in check as she continued.“Voltron will not pledge its allegiance to _you._ It will remain free of any rule. A symbol of freedom and justice to the galaxy. At any moment, it will fight against _anyone_ who tries to disrupt the peace of the universe. Nobody will be allowed to give it orders on behalf of their own agenda. Voltron will remain independent of rule, no matter _whose_ it is.”

 

“I will not argue with that. It seems a fair point. I am not my father. I do not obsess over that giant robot.” Lotor calmly replied.

 

“Good. Secondly, you will not have your rule over any planet or galaxy until you have proven yourself trustworthy. I will not have Zarkon’s son fool me into letting him be rampant around the universe and continuing the terror he has inflicted. Thirdly, you will not be permitted outside this castle without the supervision of the paladins, the Blades, or the rebel fighters. You will accompany them during missions, but I will not have you play critical roles. You will be in disposable positions. I am not risking my team nor anyone else’s lives for yours. Is that understood?”

 

“Crystal.” He did not seem completely pleased with the arrangements, but it was a start. Lotor had to start gaining their trust.

 

“Then it’s settled. You will start training with the Paladins today.”

 

“WHAT?!” Lance squealed. “But what about the thirty minute no-cuffs break? Will that be turned into training time? We can't keep babysitting this son of a-”

 

“No. Training will happen per shift with whoever is available. For thirty minutes. But it shall be separate of his no-cuffs break. I would much prefer it if majority of you paladins are present during training. It will give all of you a chance to experience fighting with Lotor, together.” Allura replied. She needed Lotor to start trusting her if she were to find out more about his plans.

 

Lotor grinned. He didn’t think Allura would allow him more time away from his cell. Her conditions were still not quite to his liking, but at least they allowed him to move more. He still had to discover what each paladin was capable of and the secrets they held….

 

* * *

 

“Matt?” Shiro knocked on the door to the lab where Matt and Pidge worked on all their projects. Ever since Matt joined their team, the floor of the lab disappeared faster with all the projects and junk that piled up.

 

“Over here,” Matt called. He was sitting on a desk that was positioned further into the room. A maze of junk leading to him. “Need something?”

 

“Uh…” Shiro tried to look for a clear path toward the taller Holt. There were times he would ask Pidge to look at his arm when it felt off and he’d accidentally step on something. The smaller Holt did not like that. “Is there any way we could talk somewhere less...cramped?”

 

Matt looked at Shiro who was still eyeing the floor for any vacant spots he could step on. He laughed, “Right. Hold on a moment. Meet me at the dining hall. We wouldn’t want you to suffer the wrath of the Pidgeon.”

 

* * *

 

Matt entered the dining hall only to find an anxious Shiro frantically pacing back and forth mumbling to himself.

 

“Shiro.”

 

Shiro jumped. He had been too focused on what to tell Matt that he didn’t hear him enter. “Hey.”

 

“Something wrong, bud?” Matt takes a seat and signals for Shiro to follow.

 

“I, uh, it’s my nightmares,” Shiro stuttered. “I’ve been hearing voices.” _Takashi._ He closed his eyes. “Even when I’m awake.”

 

“Voices? Do you recognize it?” Matt asked. “Maybe it’s a flashback of your times as...as _Champion._ ”

 

 _Champion._ Shiro hated being called that. He hated having his memories wiped out by the trauma and stress during his time in the arena. _Takashi._ “No.” He opened his eyes. “The voice...it calls me Takashi. I...I don’t know. I don’t remember.”

 

Matt watched Shiro, worry in his eyes. Shiro barely used Takashi ever since Kerberos. He only knew his family ever called him that. It was surprising for Shiro to even allow Sam Holt to use that name. _Dad. Perhaps it was his father haunting Shiro’s dreams?_

 

“Look, Shiro, you don’t have to keep feeling guilty for what happened at Kerberos. It’s not your-”

 

“It was a woman’s voice.” Shiro cut. He lowered his gaze to the floor.

 

A sly grin slowly started to form on Matt’s lip. “ A _woman,_ huh? Which part of the galaxy is she from?”

 

Shiro lifted his gaze and narrowed his eyes at his friend. “Matt...I’m serious.”

 

Matt lifted up his hands in surrender, “Okay! Okay! Just trying to ease the tension, man. I’m not sure-”

 

“Hello there!” A jumpy voice said. The two young men turned to face its owner who had arrived with the Ginger Altean and their purple guest.

 

 _Lance._ “What now, Lance?”

 

“Geez, Shiro, cut down on the throwing daggers glare. You’re not Keith. Quiznaks! I’m just here to invite you all to the training deck with _this guy,_ ” Lance cocked his head toward Lotor.

 

Shiro and Matt looked at Lance. “What?”

 

“I believe the Princess wants to try building trust between you paladins -and Matt- and Lotor,” Coran stated. “She gave orders to give Lotor training sessions with you all during your shifts and to include everyone when possible.”

 

“That sounds great and all, but Shi-”

 

“Alright.” Shiro interrupted. “Let’s train.” He gave Matt a look to follow his lead. He didn't want anyone else to know he had been having dreams...especially that of an unknown woman.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made it short because it started to get draggy before I reread the chapter. Sorry! I’ll figure out a way to move the story without unnecessary events. How do you all find it so far? Pls. leave comments and suggestions. If you want any of your ships to sail, just leave it in the comments! I’ll do my best to incorporate it here, but if I can’t I’ll probs make a one shot of it! :)


	4. ...And Another One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro has another dream invaded by the girl with red hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter is short. It originally was because it felt draggy before I edited it. And even when I made my final edits, it didn't seem like I needed to make it any longer. Hope you all still enjoy!

The young woman stood tall in her pilot uniform with her long red hair tied tightly in a braid. She held her helmet under one arm as she stared at the small spacecraft being docked and prepared for take-off. Shiro recognized the scene as a pilot getting ready to leave for space. He had experienced the same moment several times, but this felt different. He looked around to see there wasn't anybody present to bid her goodbye. It wasn't anything like the day he and his crew of Holts left for Kerberos. Thousands of people came to watch as his team took part in the farthest trip any human has ever gone in space. The Holt family was present, and even a few of his relatives were there. When he looked back at her, he saw that she was alone. There weren't even any supposed family members around. He could tell that she was nervous as she fiddled with her name tag.

_Axel._  

She turned to face him. He hadn't realised he'd said her name out loud. Shiro froze as she began to walk toward him. The closer she got, the more Shiro felt a sense of familiarity.

_Wh_ _o are you?_

And then she stopped. Shiro struggled as he tried to take another step forward. When he looked down he saw that his feet were held in place.

_Cuffs?_

He was no longer on the launching pad. He looked around once more.

_Purple. Everywhere._

He didn't have to think twice to know he was in a Galra ship. A loud shriek cut into the air. Shiro recognized her voice. It was the same one from his past dreams.

"Hello, Champion.” Another voice. This time it was sharp and raspy. There was only one being who had a voice like that and only one who could let the Black Paladin's skin crawl and twist and peel with hatred and disgust. _Haggar._

“WHAT DO YOU WANT?!” Shiro could feel his throat dry. He could barely scream and yet he tried. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO HER? LET HER GO!”

“Ah,” Haggar crouched down to look at Shiro’s face and a small sly smirk formed at her lips, “Does the Champion want to meet the  _Assassin_?" 

* * *

_BEEP!_

Shiro slammed into the floor. Dim glows lit the room. A blanket tangled his body and he could feel the cold metal floor underneath his flesh hand. He was back in his room.

_Another nightmare._

He reached for the clock on his nightstand and turned it off. Pidge had been able to calibrate the clocks in their rooms to display Earth time so they wouldn't have trouble setting alarms.

_10:00 pm._

It was time for his and Matt’s shift to watch over Lotor. The team had noticed how tired he looked and insisted he took a nap before his shift. He knew it would be pointless but he didn't want his team to worry. He was surprised he fell asleep. Fatigue must have taken over him. Shiro’s thoughts were interrupted by a knock to his door.

“Shiro? Bud? You alright there?” Matt must have heard him fall off his bed.

“Yeah. I'll be out in a while. Just let me get dressed.” He put on his long-sleeved shirt and a pair of training pants. They were a lot comfortable and he could move around easily if needed. He opened the door to find Matt conversing with his sister. They both seemed to be discussing something very private seeing as they kept their tones hushed.

Shiro cleared his throat and the two jumped in surprise. “Shiro!”

“Is there something I need to know about?”

The two Holt siblings looked at each other. It appeared they did not want the Black Paladin to know what they were talking about. He gave them a questioning look.

“N-no...We were just discussing...plans...for another project. Right, Pidge?” Matt nudged his little sister.

“Yeah! Nothing like Holts and their projects right?” Pidge said. Shiro knew there was no point in pushing the topic so he let it go.

“Would you care to join us on the training deck, Pidge? It won’t take too long.” Shiro asked. He hoped training with his team -and Lotor- would help clear his mind.

“Sure.”

“I’d like to join, too.” The trio turned to see Keith leaning against the wall. They hadn’t noticed he had been there all that time. He was still wearing the suit that the Blade of Mamora had given him, so it was clear that he had just arrived from a mission.

Shiro gave Keith a smile, “Let’s go, then.”

* * *

Matt and Pidge had their backs behind each other as several training drones surrounded them. They took turns hitting each drone that came closer to them, careful not to exert too much effort which would easily tire them out. Keith continued to attack from behind the army of drones to aid the Holt siblings, while Lotor and Shiro were struggling to keep the largest drone from coming anywhere near the others. Shiro used his Galra arm to take down the weak points of the largest drone and tasked Lotor in distracting the drone.The Galra Prince did an excellent job at taunting and dodging the drone.

“This isn’t so bad, Black Paladin. I must say,” Lotor side-stepped before getting smashed, “this is quite entertaining. A good way to clear one’s head of _haunting_ thoughts, _Champion._ ”

Shiro tried his best to concentrate on taking down the drone, but he froze at Lotor’s words. _Oh no._ His vision went black.

* * *

“Shiro!”

The Black Paladin tried to open his eyes. His vision was a blur. He felt sweat trickle down his face.

_What’s going on?_

He could feel weight shift from underneath him, a light purple glow coming from his right.

“SHIRO! STOP!” It was Matt’s voice.

_W_ _hy was he telling him to stop?_

Shiro blinked twice and focused his vision. He had Lotor pinned underneath him, his Galra arm barely an inch away from smashing into Lotor’s face. The prince did not seem to be unfazed by any of it, though, and continued to look as calm as he was the moment he had been held as a captive in the Castle.

“Shiro…” It was Keith’s voice this time. The Red Paladin put a hand on Shiro’s shoulder. “Hey, man. Calm down.”

Shiro pulled his arm away from Lotor as Keith helped him up. He looked around and saw that the training simulation had stopped. Matt took hold of Lotor and put on his cuffs.

“You okay?” Keith asked.

“Wh-what happened?” Shiro tried to remember, but he couldn’t bring back any memories of the last few minutes after blacking out.

“You...uh...you kind of snapped. I blame Lotor, but you seemed... _different..._ none of us could stop you,” Pidge answered. She didn’t know how to explain just how _bloodthirsty_ he seemed a few moments ago, and she knew it wouldn’t do him any good if they told him now. “You kept mentioning...Axel?”

_Axel. The Assassin._

“Axel?” It was Lotor who spoke up. Shiro turned to look at the Galra Prince whose face twisted into a confused knot, but Shiro knew it was a face of recognition. Before he could ask, a loud alarm sounded from Pidge’s watch. Her eyes grew wide as she turned to face her brother.

“MATT.” She swallowed. “It’s Dad.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Btw. I've got exams and whatnot so I wasn't able to post this chapter sooner. (I do final run throughs before posting and make some edits) But yeah. Here's where the OC's name is revealed. Kinda unconventional. but there is a reason behind it. Hope you enjoyed! Stay tuned for the next chapter. :)


	5. Names

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Paladins infiltrate the Galra base in the hopes to find Sam Holt, but things don't go according to plan and they learn about a figure called many names.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this got edited several times and I still am not completely satisfied with how it turned out but here goes.

“Paladins! To your stations!” Allura stood in her command post and prepared to open a wormhole to the location that the Holt siblings believed their father had sent them. It was only a matter of time before the Holts were reunited.

 

As soon as Pidge received information as to where her father could be, Shiro did not hesitate to pull the alarm for everyone to meet at the bridge. As he had guessed, the project that the Holt siblings were secretive about was a Sam Holt locator -or so he called it. They had received transmissions that they believed their father had sent them, seeing as it had the signature Holt pattern that only the three Holts knew about. Once they told Allura, she immediately gave commands to follow the coordinates. It came from a galaxy not too far from where they were and it had heavy Galra patrols. Everyone braced themselves for their rescue mission. Pidge gripped Matt’s hand.

 

“Everyone! Prepare for teleportation!”

* * *

 “Alright, it’s supposed to be the planet over there,” Pidge pointed to a small, blue planet on her screen, “It's heavily guarded by a Galra patrol which will be around four small ships. Nothing we can’t handle.” She swallowed. “Keith and Lance can distract them and take them down when possible, while Hunk and I go down there and retrieve my dad. According to my scans, the planet seems hostile. So it’s best we stick together, Hunk. The atmosphere is toxic, too. So remember to keep your helmet on. I’ve downloaded the Sam Holt Locator to your suits so we all know where we’re headed. Questions?”

 

“What do I do?” Shiro did not like watching his team go into a mission and not being able to be a part of it to lead them.

 

“It’s still yours and Matt’s shift to watch over Lotor. We obviously don’t want to leave him in the cell without anyone watching right? Plus, Coran and Allura will be busy keeping watch from here. The Control Center.”

 

“Right.”

 

“I would not mind staying here by myself,” Lotor spoke up. He had been sitting quietly on the floor in the corner. Pidge used her gravity device to make sure he stay put.

 

“No.” Shiro firmly said, “Matt and I will stay here and make sure Lotor doesn't try anything. Everyone else, focus on your roles for this mission. We are not leaving until we get Sam Holt.”

 

“I _know_ that planet very well. I have visited it _countless_ times despite my short reign as Emperor.” Lotor interrupted. “This is one of the bases where the technologically and scientifically equipped prisoners are held. It has high maximum security. I can help-”

 

“Enough.” Allura slammed her fist onto the control panel. “I've asked Coran to prepare the high level prison cell. We can use it to keep _Lotor_ there while you go on this mission. We will need everyone working to make this mission successful.”

 

Keith cleared his throat, “If Lotor knows this planet and the Galra base we're about to enter, shouldn't we at least get intel from him?”

 

Shiro spoke up before Allura could reply, “That makes sense. Allura, make sure you patch a video and audio feed in his cell so we can communicate with him. We'll be cautious about the information he gives us, but if he's really on our side this is one way he can prove it.”

 

Allura nodded in agreement and proceeded with the additional configurations to the cell. The team prepared to leave.

 

Keith and Lance were the first to be dispatched. Once the Galra patrols were in sight, they quickly drove them away from the planet to clear a path for Hunk, Pidge and Shiro. The Green Lion quickly made it to the planet and had no problems finding a clear landing spot that Lotor had provided information on, plus the fact that she had her cloaking device on.

 

“I thought this place was supposed to be hostile,” Hunk wondered.

 

“It may have been easy to land, but we might still face dangers. Keep your minds in focus.” Shiro reminded.

 

Pidge put on her helmet and stepped out of her lion. The planet looked just like earth, but everything seemed a lot more... _dangerous._ The trees had green leaves and a brown trunk, but Pidge could see blue ooze seeping out of it. The water had a toxic blue glow, and the sky was clouded with blue fog. The three paladins followed the dot on their locators as the beeping grew faster and louder. They were close. Hunk cleared the path as Pidge navigated until they stumbled upon a hangar that housed a familiar spacecraft. Pidge couldn't believe her eyes.

 

“It's my dad's ship! The one you used for Kerberos! Ohmygod, DAD!” Pidge scrambled to reach the craft.

 

“PIDGE!” Hunk cried.

 

Shiro grabbed her just in time before a loud explosion caused the Gala troops to scatter.

 

“WHAT WAS THAT?!” Hunk cried.

 

“I guess this was the hostile you were looking for, huh?” Pidge tried to catch her breath. She was reckless. _Focus, Katie._

 

“Pidge, are you alright?” Shiro helped the young Paladin up.

 

“Yeah… But what _really_ was that?? I don't remember planning to plant bombs… “

 

The three stayed low and looked for a clear opening. The explosion served as a great way to attract the troops to the front. _Things weren't going according to plan._

 

"We're going to have to fight our way through.”

 

Hunk and Pidge nodded in agreement. They stood up in time to see a dark figure slice through the field of Galra.

 

“What in the world????”

 

The figure was tall, but not the average height of a Galra. It had a helmet that covered its entire head and was secured tightly onto its suit. Pidge guessed that this strange figure couldn't breathe in the atmosphere as well. She looked closer to see that it held a blaster and a sword that seemed to have a purple glow.

 

“Overkill much?” Pidge remarked. She couldn't see any signs of the figure being of Galra kind, until huge purple wings spread from behind it.  _Or were wings the right term?_ "What in the..."

 

Suddenly, a small Gala fighter ship cut into the air and fired at them. “DUCK!” Hunk yelled. The figure disappeared.

 

“SHIT.”

 

“Hunk! Pidge! Get to the hangar!” Shiro commanded. The two paladins quickly ran to the Galra hangar and looked for an opening. Any way they could enter. Just then, the doors opened and another figure stepped out.

 

“Quick! In here!” The second figure ran with his arms up in the air, signalling to the two paladins to enter the ship. The new figure looked older, more frail, and gentle. It had green skin spotted with blue circles that glowed.

 

“Shiro!” Pidge called. The Black Paladin quickly dodged several blasts and fired a few before Pidge closed the doors.

 

“You okay, Shiro?” Pidge asked.

 

“Yeah..” Shiro pant, “This is going out of plan…”

 

“Uh….guys…?” Hunk stuttered.

 

The Paladins looked around to see several broken Galra droids scattered across the hall.

 

“The Angel of Death. The Dark One. The Assassin.” The green alien stated. “It has many names. Many names.”

 

 _The Assassin._ Why was it familiar? Shiro turned to the alien that saved them, “What does it want?”

 

“Looking for prisoner. A prisoner.” It point at Pidge. “Like you. Like you.”

 

“Like...me…” Pidge’s eyes widened, “Dad!” She grabbed the alien’s shoulders, “Where is he?! Where is the prisoner that looks like me?!”

 

“Katie,” Shiro placed his hand on her shoulder, “We need to keep our head level. This place isn’t cleared yet.”

 

Pidge released her grip on the alien and apologized. She needed to get her emotions in control. The mission wasn’t over yet.

 

“The others. The others. They hide. It told us to hide. It saves. It saves. The Angel of Death saves.”

 

“Lead us to the others. We’ll get you out of here.”

* * *

 “We can’t hold them that much longer!” Lance shrieked. The plan had not gone as smoothly as they hope, and it was only a matter of time before more Galra ships arrived.

 

“Princess! You need to tell the others to hurry up! Lance and I can’t hold off these patrols much longer. There will be more coming and it’ll be difficult for them to leave!”

 

“Copy that!” Allura tapped on her control panel to contact Shiro and the others. “Shiro! You need to hurry and get out of there! Did you find Sam Holt?”

 

“Negative. Sam Holt isn’t here. Pidge and I will head to the other sector where Sam could be held. A prisoner pointed us in that direction. Send Matt over with a cargo pod. We need to get the remaining prisoners out.”

 

Matt couldn’t believe the words he just heard. _How could Dad not be there? Was it all for nothing?_ No. They still managed to save prisoners and there was still another sector. It wasn’t for nothing. _There had to be a lead._ “I’m coming. Just give me a few minutes to get ready.” 

* * *

 “Hunk! Get the prisoners to the location Coran transmitted. Matt will be waiting there in a few minutes. Pidge, get ready to fight.”

 

Hunk quickly led the small group of prisoners down the hall as Shiro and Pidge fought their way through twists and turns until they reached a sealed door.

 

“Give me a few ticks. I’ll get it open.”

 

Shiro continued to fight the Galra soldiers and droids that swarmed toward them.

 

BEEP!

 

“I’m in! Quick, Shiro!”

 

The Black and Green Paladin entered a small room that had one figure standing at the other end.

 

_You._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Really sorry this chapter took so long to update! It's been really busy with thesis proposals and whatever, but I hope you still enjoyed. The next one might probably take as long as well because its nearing finals. Anyway, I'll try to post some short ones that aren't related to this story. Maybe.


	6. You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge and Shiro end up hiding from an unexpected visitor. Sam Holt is nowhere to be found, but it appears he left clues for the team.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s chapter 6! I had to rewrite it from scratch since I changed the plot a bit, but here goes.

_ You. _

* * *

 

“That’s everyone! Quick! Get them out of here! I’ll get Shiro and Pidge.”

 

Matt gripped Hunk’s shoulders, “Be careful. If my father isn’t-”

 

“If you’re father isn’t there it doesn’t mean he’s gone. He led us here for a reason. That much we can trust.”

 

Matt nodded. He was thankful for the Yellow Paladin’s empathetic nature. He needed to hear the bright side of all  _ this.  _ “Get them back safely.” 

 

Hunk nodded and headed straight into the tattered hallway.

* * *

“You.” Shiro felt his whole body tense at the sight of the being who took away his life. His galra hand pulsed its purple glow, ready to slice through the witch’s heart -if she even had one.

 

Pidge thought it would be the end of the world when they walked through those doors. She never expected they’d encounter Haggar in the base they believed her father would be. The Green Paladin held back her team leader from lunging toward the witch when she realized the Galran Emperor’s right hand had not even paid attention to their entrance. 

 

“Shiro, wait. Stay low.”

 

“What are you-”

 

Pidge tugged on the Black Paladin and pulled him behind a turned table. “She didn’t notice us. She seems busy.” 

 

Shiro took a peek to confirm Pidge’s suspicion. 

 

“It’s been a while since I’ve last seen you.” Haggar hissed. 

 

_ Who was she talking to? _

 

“Still not one to speak? You’re testing my patience.”

 

_ They seemed to be familiar with each other. _

 

“Shiro,” Pidge whispered ,”the signal from my father is coming from this room. Can you see him anywhere?”

 

The Black Paladin craned his neck to take a better look around the room. The closer he looked, the more he realized that the entire room was a prison cell designed to hold one person and supplied with equipment to work on technological areas. It didn’t take him long to realize that Samuel Holt was that one person. He quickly sat down beside Pidge. 

 

“Katie, listen carefully. This was where your father was held. I need you to stay calm for me, okay?”

 

She nodded. If Shiro had used her real name, it meant the situation was serious. 

 

“I...I don’t think he’s here anymore...Katie…”

 

“It’s okay, Shiro.” She gave a weak smile. “There must be a reason why he led us here.”

 

“Lotor said he knew about this building. Maybe we can get something about this place from him.”

 

“I’m patching a signal right now.” Pidge tapped on her communication device. “Allura? Can you hear me?”

 

“Pidge! What’s happening? Where are you? The prisoners are almost ready to leave. Did you find your father?”

 

Pidge sighed. “No. He’s not here. We need you to put Lotor in the line. There’s something we need to confirm. Haggar is here. We need to know if there’s anything in this room that’s important.”

 

Allura pursed her lips. “Alright. Wait a tic.”

 

“Green Paladin,” Lotor’s voice rang through Pidge and Shiro’s earpiece, “That room is where high intelligence level prisoners are held. It’s specifically designed to house one prisoner and force him to impart his scientific knowledge into the Galran Empire. I believe your father was indeed held there, but for the witch to be present at this very moment I’m afraid there’s bad news. I have a strong feeling my Father has taken him.”

 

Pidge took a deep steadying breath.  _ There had to be a reason why her father still sent a signal from here.  _ “Do you think anything important is stored in this room? Is it programmed to automatically delete its drives?” 

 

Shiro couldn’t stand the long conversation going on between Pidge and Lotor. They were in the same room as the witch, and they could be spotted at any moment. They had to move quickly. 

 

“If your Father is as smart as you say he is, I believe he found a way to slow down the self-destruct process of the computers. Just check-”

 

“ENOUGH!” 

 

The two Paladins jolted up in surprise, ready to fight. They looked around to see the figure from earlier cuffed from behind, splayed on the floor.

 

“Ah…” Haggar hissed. “The Young Paladins of Voltron. The Emperor Zarkon will be pleased.”

 

The doors behind them opened for a panting Hunk. “Shiro! Pidge! We need to….” He gulped. “Oh, Quiznaks.”

 

“Get down!”

* * *

"Tell me again," Hunk dodged,"WHY ON EARTH IS HAGGAR HERE!?"

"Hunk," Pidge shot at one of the druids, “We’re as confused as you are.” She fired her grappling hook and wrapped it at one of the Galra droids and sent an electric shock. 

“Pidge, Hunk, find any clues on where Sam could be.” 

The two Paladins nodded. 

Shiro continued to fight against the druids that continued to appear and disappear around him. From the corner of his eye, he could see that the figure had broken free of the cuffs and began to attack Haggar. 

_ A skilled fighter. No wonder why they named it the Assassin.  _

It took him a few ticks before he analyzed the pattern of the druids and quickly used it to his advantage. He struck the first druid right as it appeared to his left and quickly dodged the second one that appeared from behind. He slammed his fist into its head. 

_ Two druids down, one witch to go. _

“Pidge! Hunk! Updates!”

“I’ve gone through this whole computer and it’s clearly my dad’s method of recording his data. I need to take a closer look on what these are. I’m currently 80% in the download.” 

“This one has detailed plans and designs for bases and ships. I’m at 75%”

“FOOLS!” Haggar shrieked before she fired at the figure and disappeared. The building violently shook at her departure. 

“The building’s not gonna hold much longer! Get out of here, quickly!” Shiro commanded.

“We just need a few more ticks!” Pidge turned around to see that the shot had knocked the figure unconscious. “Shiro!”

“On it. Get that thing to finish up. You have ten ticks.” Shiro quickly ran toward the figure lying limp on the floor. 

“Get...out…” 

_ A girl? The voice was too soft for a man’s… _

“Hold on. We’ll get you out of here.”

“N-no…” 

_ Definitely a woman. _

“You need to get out.” The voice much louder but also raspier. 

“We need to get you to safety. You seem badly injured. Can you manage to stand?”

 

A nod. Shiro quickly put his arms underneath their injured ally -as far as the situation could be interpret- and directed Pidge and Hunk toward their exit point. 

“Pidge! Hunk! Let’s go!”

* * *

It didn’t take long for the building to collapse as the three Paladins and their alleged ally escaped in the speeders of the Blue and Red Lions. 

“Thanks for the ride, Lance, Keith.” Shiro commented, “That was some quick thinking. Good job.”

“Hey, that’s what teammates are for. Besides, maybe this’ll earn me points for the Black Lion.” 

The three rolled their eyes. “UGH, Lance.”

“I’m kidding! I’m kidding! Well. Partly. But anyway, the coast is clear to the Green Lion. You guys better hurry before any more Galras arrive.”

* * *

As soon as the Paladins reached the Green Lion, the speeders were loaded back into the Red and Blue Lions. Pidge quickly powered up the Green Lion and prepared for take off when she realized the limp body Shiro was supporting. 

“What’s that?” She pointed. 

“I think this is what they called The Assassin. Apparently it’s a  _ she _ , and that she is injured. I can’t take off her helmet because of the atmosphere, but she’s getting weaker by the moment. We need to hurry.”

“No offense, Shiro, but we don’t know if  _ she _ is safe to bring on board. What if she’s a spy sent by Haggar. Or an actual Assassin sent by Haggar. She was looking for my Father! Who knows who she works for?!”

Shiro was about to retaliate when Hunk stepped in. 

“Guys. Look. I don’t mean to butt in, BUT we’re in the middle of escaping. Can we all just figure this out when we’re back in the castle? Safe and sound?”

Pidge glared at Shiro, “Fine. But make sure she’s cuffed. I don’t want her to suddenly attack us. We’ll also let Allura and the others have a say in this.”

“Thank you, Pidge. I’ll keep an eye on her.” 

Shiro felt relieved that the Green Paladin was reasoned with. She could be really stubborn and Shiro was glad he had Hunk with him. The Yellow Paladin was good at convincing the small one. What he failed to mention, however, was that the woman he had to keep an eye on felt to be a whole lot more than just a possible ally. In the corner of his thoughts, he felt a tugging from his deepest memories. Something he just couldn’t quite place just yet. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So! As I mentioned, I had to rewrite this chapter from scratch due to the changes in the plot that I made. Updating this story is taking longer than I had hoped especially with the start of the last month of the semester. This is where it'll be a mix of canon events from season 5 and the fanfic's plot with the additional OC character.


	7. Frustration

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Classes are finally over! so here's chapter 7 :) This has lots of cut scenes and I apologize. It felt really draggy to connect the scenes so I decided to just cut and jump to the next scenes. (Totally gonna control this bad habit in the next chapters) Enjoy!

“Make sure she’s secured. We can’t have her suddenly attacking us and hijacking my Lion,” Pidge instructed. She knew it was practically impossible for anyone to pilot any of the Lions unless they were permitted by the Lion itself -a fact that made her quite insecure knowing the Lions could change their minds about who their pilots would be. _Now wasn’t the time to think about that._

 

Shiro cuffed the barely conscious captive and sat beside her. For reasons he couldn't explain, nor understand, he refused to take off her helmet and instead connected it to an oxygen supply to support her shallow breathing. The tugging feeling of familiarity and curiosity continued to bother him as they traveled back to the castle. _Just what was lying beneath the helmet and armor?_

* * *

“All injured evacuees please enter the grand ballroom to the right of this hallway! All those who aren't injured, please enter the main dining hall to the left of that hallway! Remember to make way for the older ones and please be patient! Everyone will be accommodated in due time. ” Coran continued to give instructions through his Altean version of a megaphone as dozens of rescued aliens flooded through the hallways of the Castle of Lions.

 

“Coran, the Paladins have returned. I’m going to brief them about our current situation and the roles they can help out with,” Allura quickly ran toward the Green Lion’s hangar with Matt following from behind.

 

“What do you think they found in the prison?” the Altean Princess asked.

 

“Hopefully something important. My father isn’t the type of person to do things without reason,’ Matt replied although it sounded more to himself than to Allura.

 

“Hopefully.”

 

Allura and Matt arrived at the Green Lion’s hangar as Pidge lowered the jaw bridge.

 

“Pidge!” the older Holt ran toward his sister who greeted him with a tight hug.

 

“Matt! I’m sorry I didn’t find dad. I downloaded the files from his computer, but we’ll still have to decrypt some of them. He must have left some clue or a lead or-”

 

“Katie, it’s okay. Dad’s smart. He knew what he was doing and he’ll know what to do wherever he is. He wouldn’t be a Holt if he didn’t.”

 

“It’s good to have you back, Paladins.” Allura greeted “Where’s Shiro?”

Hunk and Pidge shared a look. “Shiro’s-”

 

“I’m here,” the Black Paladin walked down the ramp with the captive cradled in his arms. “We need to get her to a healing pod immediately.”

 

“Who…?” Allura wondered.

 

Shiro continued to walk past the Princess as he replied, “It’s a long story, Princess, and we have yet to interrogate this person on what she knows. But for now, we need to get her health in check if we want to get anything from her at all.”

 

* * *

“We’re going to have to remove her armor. Gentlemen, if you may…” Allura raised a brow at the male members of the Paladin. “I’ll have Pidge help me so please take your leave and get changed. Coran needs help in dealing with our evacuees.”

 

Shiro hesitated at first but realized that there was a possibility their captive didn’t wear a bodysuit underneath the armor just as they did. He turned a bright red before finally leaving the healing deck.

 

Allura gently lowered their captive onto the examination table and slowly removed the helmet.

 

Pidge let out a gasp when she saw the long red hair spread onto the table and features that much resembled hers, “She’s….she’s human.”

 

The Altean spoke, “She may look human, but we can’t be so sure yet. Let’s take off her armor and get her into the pod to do more scans.”

 

Once they had removed her armor, Allura and Pidge were even more confused with the body that was lying in front of them. Her hands were no longer flesh, but resembled the same mechanism and design as Shiro’s arm. Unlike Shiro, purple veins sprouted from the wrist base of the prosthetic and wrapped around her forearm.

 

“Is it Galra?” Pidge asked. She could tell Allura was wondering the same thing until they saw the captive’s back.

 

 _A jetpack?_ No. But they couldn’t take it off. It was somehow mended into her body just like her hands.

 

The two women shared a look. They definitely needed to investigate it further, but for now they had to prioritize her survival. Allura and Pidge quickly but gently removed the rest of the armor and discovered more scars painting the redhead’s body, peeking through her tank top and booty shorts. The Altean Princess carefully placed her into a healing pod.

 

“Do not let anyone else inside. We need to make sure everyone has been taken care of and the team has gotten enough rest. I’m trusting you can do that, Pidge. I’ll bring you a change of clothes. You can take a shower in the healing deck’s shower just right in that door over there. Press this button for a bed so you can get some rest, too. I’ll be right back.”

 

The Green Paladin nodded. _This is for the best._

* * *

“I want to see her.” Shiro demanded.

 

“I can’t let you do that,” Pidge replied through the intercom outside the doors. She could be stubborn but her leader was starting to piss her off. “Allura’s orders, Shiro. She’ll let you guys in eventually.”

 

“Katie.”

 

_Oh great, he’s using her real name._

 

“Takashi.” _Two can play in this game._

 

The Black Paladin groaned before slamming his fist into the wall and walked off.

 

_He’s definitely hiding something._

* * *

“Pidgeon! As your dear bro-”

 

“No.”

 

“But-”

 

“I know Shiro sent you here, _Big Brother,_ ” she groaned. _This was getting out of hand._ “Listen, Matt, tell Shiro he can see the love of his life as soon as Allura says so. Now, would you _kindly_ just stop bothering me? I’m trying to get some rest you know.”

 

Matt turned around to face the Black Paladin and shrugged, “Sorry, man. I’ve got to get back on decrypting and decoding those files.” He placed a hand on Shiro’s shoulder, “Just be patient, yeah?”

 

The older man gave out a long sigh. _There really was no point in pestering Pidge. He really just had to wait, but he needed to get his mind off of their captive’s identity._ “I’ll go down and see if I can get something helpful out of Lotor. I’ll keep you updated.”

 

“Thanks, Shiro.”

* * *

“There’s a possibility he’s been moved to another cell because of his status as a high-value prisoner. I wouldn’t be surprised, but with the presence of the witch at the base you just raided...I’m guessing the next base they took him to will be far more secure and guarded.” Lotor stated.

 

“Give me a list.”

 

“I’ll need to think about it. Give me some time.”

 

Shiro was getting more and more irritated with how everyone seemed to be putting him on hold. _This was definitely not how the Head of Voltron should act._ He took in a deep breath, “Fine. I’ll get back to you on that with the whole team.”

 

“Something bothering you, Black Paladin?”

 

 _Great. Even the Galran Prince could tell._ “I’m fine. I just need to process my thoughts.”

 

“I’m all ears. Besides, I’ve got nothing better to do.”

 

Talking to the exiled Galran Prince didn’t sound like the best idea, but he needed someone outside of team Voltron to talk to. Someone who wouldn’t be biased….

 

“Shiro!” Matt called out through the intercom. “Allura’s letting us meet with the captive. She just got out of the healing pod.”

 

“Captive?” Lotor raised a brow.

 

“It’s none of your concern.” The Black Paladin couldn’t believe he nearly shared his heart out with the Prince. “I’ll be back soon. You better have that list ready.”

 

Lotor pressed his lips into a thin line. “Of course.”

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> still kind of figuring out the direction of the story since I haven't had time to think properly. This won't be too long since I have other ideas I wanna do. so this'll probs end at chapter 20? idk.


	8. Axel

 

Matt led Shiro into the lounge where Allura and the other Paladins were waiting. The Altean Princess stood up and motioned for the two men to take a seat.

 

“Paladins, Matt,” the Princess started, “I have called you here in order to discuss matters concerning our captive.” She looked at Shiro “Her healing was a success and we’ve transferred her to a holding cell for safety purposes. I wanted to discuss a few things before we question her. Pidge, if you don’t mind.”

 

The Green Paladin pulled out her laptop and projected a hologram model of the captive. “Based on the body scans I performed on her, I can confirm that she’s human and around the same age as Matt or Shiro.” Pidge typed into her laptop to show the hologram highlighting the captive’s hands and upper back in red. “The areas in red are apparently of Galra tech. They work like Shiro’s arm and function just the same as well. The contraption on her back, however, should more or less work like a jetpack based on its design. We don’t know how long she’s been like this, but what makes it different from Shiro’s arm are the purple veins that seep out from the connection between the tech and her skin.” Pidge flashed images of the captive that she had taken during her examination. “It’s as though this is a prototype before Shiro’s arm.”

 

“Now that you have been briefed about our captive we need to determine our course of action.” Allura stated as she looked at the Black Paladin who seemed to be pondering on the situation.

 

Shiro cleared his throat, “I don’t think she’s the enemy. She fought Haggar and saved the prisoners. If anything, she could be a part of the rebel coalition.”

 

“If she were we’d know about it, Shiro,” Matt interrupted, “But you have a point. If she were the enemy she wouldn’t go out of her way to release the prisoners.”

 

“Now that I think about it, they called her a bunch of stuff…’Angel of Death’?” Pidge tried to remember her encounter with prisoners.

 

“Woah, woah, woah, woah...Are you saying the lady we’re holding in a cell right now has a reputation of bringing death? What is she? An assassin or something?” Lance interjected. 

 

“‘The Assassin.’ That was one of the names the prisoner gave her.” Shiro pressed his lips into a thin line. The name echoed in his mind.  _ He definitely heard that name before. _ “We should talk to her. Find out what she knows.”

 

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

 

“What’s going on?!” Lance shrieked as the castle alarms continued wailing. 

 

Pidge quickly turned on the surveillance feed, “It’s her! She’s escaped! We need to capture her before she hurts the evacuees.”

 

“Where is her current location?” Shiro calmly asked. He looked into the screen as the figure broke the glass of her cell. She had covered up her face and body using the sheets of the bed.  _ Just show your face. Please.  _ He couldn’t help but hope.

 

The Green Paladin opened a map of the castle with a red dot swiftly moving across the halls, “It’s a good thing I thought of putting a tracking device on her. It appears she’s headed for the bridge. I guess she hasn’t figured out the layout of the castle yet, which puts us at an advantage.”

 

“Alright, everyone, listen up. Hunk and Pidge make sure you have eyes on her and close off all the other hallways. Don’t forget to keep surveillance on Lotor as well. Lance, Keith, I need you to block the other routes while Hunk and Pidge are working on sealing the other passages. Make sure she’s still headed toward the bridge. Coran, make sure the evacuees are alright. Princess, Matt, I need your help containing her in the bridge. Do not shoot her.”

 

Everyone nodded in agreement. “Got it.”

 

* * *

 

“I’ve sealed nearly all other routes behind her. Hunk! What’s your stat?!”

 

“Lotor is still in his cell, and the captive is still headed toward the bridge. It doesn’t look like she’s here to free the Prince. Keith? Lance? Everything alright down there?”

 

“It looks like she’s just trying to escape, but she’s really fast.” Lance continued to catch his breath. 

 

“Lance is right. She’s lost and confused. At this rate, she’ll definitely end up in the bridge. Shiro, is everything ready?”

 

“Ready. Just keep her in the right direction. We’ll be ready for her.”

 

The captive found herself at the end of the hall, right in front of the entrance to the bridge. Keith and Lance followed right after and cornered her. “There’s no way to go. Surrender.” Keith demanded. He pointed his blaster at her. “I don’t want to shoot.”

 

She stared at the two boys with her fiery eyes. Her hands started to glow. 

 

Lance gulped, “Uh….Keith…?” He put his finger on his trigger. Just in case.

 

“Lance, don’t.” 

 

“I don’t want to hurt you,” the captive spoke in a hoarse voice. “Let me out.”

 

The two boys jumped in surprise. “We need to know who you are. We have a lot of questions. Just come with us. We can help you.” 

 

Lance stepped between Keith and the captive, “Now now, Keith, that’s no way to talk to a lady.” He lowered his blaster and took a step toward her. “See? I’m not going to hurt you. We’ll ask the team to open the doors behind you. And then you can leave, but you have to tell us your name first. I’m Lance, this is Keith.”

 

She narrowed her eyes at the Blue Paladin. It was her first time to heal using the pods of the castle, and it made her feel nauseous after running around. She couldn’t think straight, but she needed to escape. “Axel. My name is Axel.” She was starting to grow weaker again.

 

“Axel, that’s a nice name. We’ll open the doors now. Okay?” Lance looked at Keith and nodded his head. 

 

Keith spoke into the communicator, “Hunk, Pidge, open the door.”

 

After a few seconds, the doors slid open and Axel quickly ran through.

 

“Shiro! Now!”

 

Matt and Allura stood at both sides of the doors with a blaster that shot the Altean version of a bolas. Allura aimed for her arms while Matt aimed for her legs. Once Axel fell to the ground, Shiro quickly attached a gadget that shut down Galra tech to her hands and back.  _ It’s a good thing they had two Holts and Hunk with them. _ She continued to struggle against the weight of the Black Paladin but was still too weak to fight back. She surrendered. 

 

“Have you calmed down?” Shiro asked. She nodded her head. The Black Paladin lifted her up and gently set her down on the seat beside Allura. He still couldn’t see her face and she didn’t seem to want to see who was holding her captive.

 

The Altean Princess knelt down in front of the captive. “My name is Allura, and I am the Princess of Altea. I mean no harm and believe that you are working against the Galra. Can I trust that you are an ally?”

 

The red haired woman slowly lifted her head, the sheets still covering most of her face. She looked directly into the Princess’ eyes before nodding her head. 

“Good. I shall remove these bonds. Don’t try to escape, we have you surrounded and we really don’t want to hurt you. Alright?”

 

She nodded again.

 

Allura quickly untied her bonds and Pidge swiftly ran up to make a few scans to make sure everything was safe. The Paladins -and most especially Shiro- were anxious to officially meet another fellow human.

 

“Your scans are good. You just really need to rest. Maybe you’d like to give us a proper introduction?” Pidge suggested.

 

The red haired girl looked around her.  _ These were good people. She’d be safe here. They could help.  _ “My name….is Axel…” She started as she unwrapped the sheets around her face. “I was sent by the Garrison years ago to explore Kerberos.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHOOPS! It's been sooooooooooooo long since I last updated. It's finally Christmas Break and I've got a lot of time to work on this. So here goes! I'm so soooo sorry it took so long to update :( and I hope to finish this before the year ends! (I honestly cannot juggle fanfic writing and academics and I really don't want to drag this story THAT long) Hope you guys stay tuned and like how this story goes! :)


	9. Shiro’s Decision

“I can't believe she blacked out on us.” the Blue Paladin whined as he helped prep the holding cell.

 

“She was very weak. It couldn't be helped. We should let her rest. I'll make sure she has something to eat when she wakes up.”

 

“Fine, Hunk. Could you tell Pidge to sweep the cell and make sure it's secured? Thanks.”

* * *

 

_ Where was she? Why does it feel like she's floating? Did the witch finally finish her off?  _ No.  _ There were people who came.  _ That's right.  _ She was held captive. She failed to escape. Did she recognize anybody?  _ One.  _ But he looked different. Could it be? _

 

“Takashi….” Axel softly whispered. 

 

The Black Paladin could barely hear the words she muttered underneath her breath as he sat beside her bed. After she told them that she was sent by the Garrison to Kerberos, her body couldn't take all the stress. Luckily, Pidge was nearby to break her fall. The Green Paladin propped her back onto the chair and carefully unwrapped the sheets to reveal the red haired woman's face. She had strong features that softened in her sleep and freckles that dotted across her cheeks along with small scars that showed a history of battles.  _ She has definitely been through a lot.  _ Shiro couldn't help but realize that she was beautiful in her rugged state, and yet feel that she was scarred in more than physical ways.  _ Just like he was.  _ The Black Paladin was glad he volunteered to take the first shift to watch over her. Everyone else wanted to get some rest and he insisted that he had had his time to do so.  _ He was also sure his face was starting to turn red from staring at the unconscious woman beside him.  _

 

“Takashi…” She whispered just loud enough for Shiro to recognize his name. 

 

_ Perhaps it's someone with the same name?  _ The Black Paladin resisted the urge to grab her hand.  _ It might startle her.  _ He reasoned.  _ There's just no way they knew each other from before. Right?  _ But Shiro knew that he failed to recall memories from the past ever since he became Champion. He couldn't even remember the entire time he served as Champion.  _ There had to be some way to restore his memories.  _

 

A hand suddenly gripped his arm and ripped him from his thoughts. “Takashi…? Is that you..?” Axel weakly cried out. She looked far from rested. Sweat beaded at her forehead and one arm was wringing around her abdomen. “It hurts….it hurts… help me..”

 

Shiro quickly paged for the Green Paladin. He sat beside the woman and wrapped his arms around her.  _ Guess proper etiquette was out of the picture.  _ He held her arms in place as she tried to claw at her back.  _ What has gotten into her…  _

 

The doors slid open for Pidge, Matt, Hunk, and Coran. Practically the medic and tech crew of the team. 

 

“Shiro, what's the stat?” Coran quickly propped a cube onto the side table. He started pulling out assorted Altean gadgets that hopefully would ease their patient's pain. 

 

“She was starting to gain consciousness and suddenly she started crying out in pain. She keeps trying to claw at her back and she tried to chew at her wrists.”

 

“It's the tech.” Pidge calmly stated. She encoded her laptop with a few commands to reveal a different version of the hologram she showed earlier. “We need to numb her down. Put her back to sleep. It's the fastest way to stop the pain. I need to assess her again to check if my guess is right.”

 

Coran quickly pulled out an Altean contraption that mirrored the Earth version of an inhaler and let Axel breathe in the mist. Shiro felt her slowly slip back into unconsciousness as her struggle grew weaker and weaker underneath him. 

 

“Will she be alright?”

 

“For now.” Pidge stated. “From the looks of the scans, she'll be in pain again once she wakes up. You see these areas here?” she zoomed into Axel’s back and wrists. “The way the tech was joined into flesh was so crudely done that it's causing her pain. See these veins? They seem to increase in number and length . We'll have to ask her about these once she wakes up.”

 

“In the meantime,” Coran handed shiro a syringe with blue liquid “Give her a shot of this. It should numb her pain. I mixed it just now and should last her twenty four hours of no pain. Just enough time for us to get information from her. Altean painkillers really do the trick, but there is a side effect for this formula that I can't quite remember. I'm sure it's not harmful though. I'll keep you updated, Shiro.”

 

Hunk set down two bowls of Altean porridge. “I made some for you, too, Shiro. The rest of the team decided we'd let you watch over her. If that's okay with you. Allura kind of needs us to run other errands around the castle especially with locating the home planets of the refugees.”

 

“I understand.” the Black Paladin took a bowl. “I'll keep you all updated. Pidge? Would it be okay for you to orient me with her condition?”

 

“Sure. Maybe it'll be easier if I compare it with your arm. If you don't mind.”

 

Shiro nodded. He noticed Matt standing at the edge of the bed. Still staring at their patient. 

 

“Matt? Is everything alright?”

 

The older Holt snapped back into reality and cleared his throat. “Yeah… I just…. need to check on something. I'll be right back…” He quickly rushed out of the room, leaving the others puzzled.

* * *

 

“I'm telling you, there is no record of a solo mission to Kerberos before we were sent. But she looks… I've seen her. I swear I have. I just… I can't remember.” Matt tried to relax. There was something itching in his brain about Axel. After he left the holding cell, he checked the records he hacked from the Garrison and couldn't find any trace of the mission. 

 

“Someone must have tampered with your memories,” Allura started to scan her computer. “My father developed a program that could access a person's memories. He said, memories can never be completely erased. They're just hidden somewhere. In your brain.” She leaned back in excitement. “Here it is!”

 

“Princess, I think we should get Shiro here. He should know about this.” Lance suggested. 

 

“Alright. Take his place and watch over our guest. Tell him to report to the bridge immediately.”

* * *

 

“So you're saying you might possibly have some memory of her?”

 

“Yes, Shiro. From the moment I saw her face I've been having this itching feeling that I've already met her. Don't you?”

 

“What-”

 

“Don't deny it. I could see it in your face, too. I know you can feel it.”

 

The Black Paladin failed to keep his composure around the older Holt.  _ Or any Holt at this point.  _

 

Pidge cleared her throat. When Lance told them the situation, Shiro dragged her along as well.  _ They did need their tech experts.  _ “Coran says this program is quite powerful. We might let…unpleasant memories return.” She kept her voice low as she ended her sentence.  _ Did she offend Shiro?  _

 

“No. I'll do it.” Shiro walked toward the center of the group. “I've seen her in my dreams. I'm probably the one who knows her best. Coran, how long will the process take?” 

 

The ginger Altean checked his screen. “It depends on how deep your memories of her are buried in your mind. I can't say for sure, but if you've been able to dream about her I'm guessing more than a few ticks.”

 

“Are you certain you can take this?” Allura gripped Shiro’s shoulder. “You might have to relive your memories as Champion…”

 

“I can do it, Shiro. Maybe my memories are enough to know if she's telling the truth.” Matt didn't like the idea of Shiro going through the torture of reliving his time as Champion. 

 

Shiro looked around the group surrounding him. He was grateful for how caring his friends were, but he could feel a deeper connection with Axel than he could explain. “I'll do it. There are some things I want answered as well.”


	10. The Assassin and The Champion

Keith had just entered Lotor’s holding cell to give him his cuff break when the Galran Prince bombarded him with questions about their captive.

 

“Look, I'm pretty sure I can't tell you anything. She's stable right now and we don't want you anywhere near her. So if you could just-”

 

“She's called the Assassin isn't she?”

 

Keith stepped back in surprise.  _ Nobody ever mentioned that to Lotor. Right? _

 

“I have…a bond...with the Assassin. I can tell she's here. You need to get me to your team leaders. I have important information about her.”

 

The Red Paladin nodded his head.  _ Hopefully Shiro hasn't undergone the process yet.  _

* * *

“Okay, Lance, you can do this. Just stab her chest with the syringe. It's that simple, Lance. Nothing to it.” the Blue Paladin tried to calm himself down as Axel continued to struggle in pain. He strapped her down and aimed for her chest.  _ Breathe.  _ He brought his hand down and stabbed the syringe right where Shiro had instructed him. After a few tics, Axel started to calm down. “Please tell me you're not dead.” Lance  unstrapped their patient and checked for her pulse. He let out a sigh of relief when he felt her pulse regulate. “I need to alert the team.”

 

The Red haired woman grabbed onto her watchers wrist, “Where…where am I..”

 

Lance jolted back in surprise and quickly paged for Pidge before answering her. “You're in a safe place. This is the Castle of Lions. I'm with Voltron. You need to calm down and take it easy.”

 

Axel tried to ease her breathing.  _ Why wasn't she in pain anymore? _

 

Just then, Pidge’s voice echoed through Lance's communicator. “Lance, bring her to the bridge. There's an Altean wheelchair in the closet.”

 

“Copy that.” Lance turned toward Axel. “We need to be somewhere. Okay?”

 

She nodded.  _ This boy seems trustworthy.  _

 

* * *

 

“STOP THE PROCESS!” Pidge yelled.

 

Coran quickly shut down the program. Shiro sat up and marched toward the Green Paladin. 

 

“Pidge! Just what do you think you're doing?!” 

 

He definitely was pissed.

 

“Shiro, I can explain. The girl. She just woke up. We can ask her questions now. Without risking you having to relive your bad memories. And we need to clarify a few things before we do something like  _ that.”  _ she pointed at the machine he was just sitting in a few moments ago. 

 

Shiro tried to retaliate when Keith suddenly entered with Lotor dragged alongside him. 

 

“GUYS STOP. THERE'S SOMETHING YOU NEED TO-” He looked around to see Shiro towering over Pidge and Coran signalling awkwardly at him. “Oh…I can come back-”

 

“No.” Shiro was definitely pissed. “It must be important. What is it, Keith? Why is Lotor here?”

 

Before the young Blade could speak up, the Galran Prince started talking. “I know you're holding the Assassin captive and I can tell you right now why it's a bad idea for  _ you  _ to recall your memories.”

 

Shiro looked pointedly at Keith.  _ He was not supposed to tell Lotor this much detail.  _ He cleared his throat and gathered his composure. “I know that she's someone I've met before. Someone who was probably close to me.”  _ maybe even closer.  _ “We need information on her and if going through my mem-”

 

“You've battled against her in the arena.”

 

Everyone fell silent. Lotor took a moment before he continued. 

 

“She was abducted at Kerberos. Your institution sent her alone as a scout to collect data for another mission. I suppose it was to prepare you and your team for your mission to Kerberos. After she was abducted, the witch infiltrated her memories to use against her. That's how she was able to determine that there will be another set of humans who'd be at Kerberos. That's how a Galran Patrol was still able to be present at Kerberos when you and your crew were sent there.”

 

Shiro and the others couldn't believe what the Galran Prince was telling them. Pidge sank into her chair as the Prince continued. 

 

“The witch…she experimented on her. Used her to perfect her technological ‘enhancements’. She tested them out by sending the girl into the arena or through deadly missions. By the time you were held captive, she had gained the reputation as the Assassin. Haggar had been able to perfect her technology and magic. Once you gained your reputation as Champion, Haggar wanted to test her latest creation against he first experiment.” Lotor looked at Shiro. 

 

The Black Paladin struggled to stand. Coran quickly led him into a seat as he tried to stay calm. “She made me fight against her. Didn't she?” 

 

Lotor directed his gaze to the floor. “She tried to, but Assassin wouldn't fight back even when you were killing her.”

 

“That's enough,” Keith tugged at Lotor’s cuffs. “We can't be certain that your entire story is true. For all we know you could be-”

 

The doors slid open for Lance to enter. Everyone stood still and looked at the woman in the wheelchair. Axel took one look at the Galran Prince. 

 

Then all they could see was that purple glow. 

 


	11. I Know, You Know

 

“KEITH! GET HIM OUT OF HERE!”

 

“GOT IT! MAKE SURE SHE-”

 

Keith was thrown into the ground in one swift motion as Axel grabbed onto Lotor and pinned him against the wall. She had a sword-like figure wielded from the purple glow of Galra ready to slice through him. Fortunately for the Galran Prince, he was not a stranger to combat and quickly dodged the red head's blow. 

 

“SHIRO!” Pidge yelled. The Black Paladin was too close to the battling pair. He was too focused on trying to secure Axel that he lost sight of Lotor.  _ Too distracted.  _

 

Lotor easily locked Shiro into a tight hold and used him as a shield against his foe. He held a small dagger to the team leader's throat. “Now, now, my dear. We wouldn't want to harm him now would we?”

 

“Lotor, what on-”

 

“Shush, Princess, I know what I am doing.” The Galran muttered underneath his breath, just enough for Allura to hear. He continued to stare directly into Axel’s eyes which were consumed by the purple glow. “If you want what's best for these people,  _ your people _ , I suggest you drop your weapon.”

 

She stood tall and still. 

 

Lotor whispered into his ear, “I will let you go. She has a soft spot for you. Calm her down and disable her. There is a kill switch for her Galran enhancements behind her right ear. It won't kill her, just render her unconscious.”

 

Shiro took a step forward with his hands raised.  _ Don't get distracted.  _ “Hey, hey, we're alright. Just calm down and lower your weapon…”

 

She lunged the sword and stopped a few centimeters from his face. She took a longer look at his face. The purple glow flickered. 

 

_ She's getting unstable.  _ Pidge worried. None of them made any movements. They couldn't risk their team leader getting stabbed in the face. She slowly reached into her pocket and pressed the button to shut down the Galran technology. _ It really was a good thing she took security measures.  _

 

The purple glow disappeared and Axel was left without a weapon. Shiro jumped back in shock. 

 

“Keith, secure Lotor!” Princess Allura commanded. 

 

The former Red Paladin ran to cuff the Galra. “You better not try anything funny.”

 

“Take him back to his cell.” Allura commanded. Lotor took one last look at the Assassin before Ketih dragged him away.  _  He’ll have his turn. _

 

Shiro continued to approach the red head slowly. She froze in her stance with tears streaming down her cheeks. 

 

“Ta-Takashi…?” she stuttered. 

 

Shiro stopped dead in his tracks.  _ Did she just call him by his real name?  _

 

“No…” her lips quivered. Axel pressed her palms against her eyes.  _ Was this a dream?  _ “No...this can’t be.” She looked around her.  _ These were her kind. These people...they were humans.  _ The red head dropped to her knees and wailed in tears. 

 

“Shiro,” Lance whispered, “I’ll handle this. She seems to recognize you. We don’t know if it’s a good thing or bad thing.”

 

The Black Paladin gave a small nod. He watched as Lance bent down and comforted Axel. His chest ached at the sight.  _ Did he even have the right? _

 

“Hey, look at me.” Lance whispered. “We won’t hurt you. You trust me, right?”

 

“We really won’t hurt you.” Pidge sat beside her. “We just want to know how we can help you.”

 

Axel lifted her head and looked at the two young Paladins in front of her. “You’re human.” She laughed dryly. “It’s been a while since-” She took a closer look at Pidge.

 

“M-Matt?” She cupped the Green Paladin’s face. Her face knotted in confusion “You’re not-”

 

Pidge tensed, “My name is Katie Holt. Matt is my brother. How do you know him?”

 

The Altean Princess knelt down and joined the small group, “I hate to interrupt this show of progress, but perhaps we could transfer to more comfortable seating?”   
  


“Of course, but first-” Axel hissed in pain “It seems I’m starting to hurt all over again.”

 

Pidge reached into her pocket and handed out a syringe “Here, it’s supposed to dull the pain without making you tired. If you don’t mind, may I?”   
  


“Yes, please.”

 

Hunk walked up beside Shiro, “You know, if you want to talk to her, you could join them. I don’t think she’s evil.”

 

Shiro jumped in surprise at his sudden appearance, “Look, I don’t think it’s that easy. Excuse me, I need to do some interrogating.”

 

The Yellow Paladin held their leader in place, “If you’re looking for Matt, the coalition called him for an emergency. He left right as the process to collect your memories were about to start.”

 

“Then I guess I’ll start with my second option.” he loosened Hunk’s grip and walked away.

 

“Don’t get carried away, Shiro.”

 

* * *

 

“Here, have some of Hunk’s special space chowder.”

 

Axel smiled, “Thank you. All of you. For all this.”

 

“Well, it’s been a while since we saw another human. And you said you know my brother?”

 

“I do. We used to take some classes together.”

 

Pidge checked her communicator, “He hasn’t responded to my transmissions, yet. I guess he’s still on a mission. I’m sorry, but he never mentioned you.” 

 

“I...it’s..well it’s going to be a bit of a heavy story.”

 

“How do you know Shiro?” Lance asked.

 

The table grew silent.  _ Why did Lance just have to throw that in? _

 

Hunk cleared his throat, “The Blue Paladin didn’t mean to-”

 

She chuckled sadly, “It’s fine. I’m sure you are all curious. But. I need to assess the situation before I divulge any information. I understand you all want to know. There are things that I need to figure out on my own first. Sam Holt-”

 

She froze. “Sam...SAM! OH FUCK!” She gripped Pidge’s shoulders. “I need your ship.”

 

* * *

 

 

Shiro entered the Lotor’s holding cell and slammed the Galran Prince against the wall. 

 

Lotor wiped his nose, "My, my, Black Paladin...which nerve did I hit this time?"

 

The Red Paladin shoved himself between the two men and dragged Shiro outside. 

 

“What the hell do you think you’re doing, man?!” 

 

“I need to get the truth out of him. I need to know what he knows!”

 

The two boys wrestled each other before Shiro finally calmed down. 

 

“Are you ready to talk now, Shiro?”

 

He breathed out. “Yes. Sorry. I got a bit carried away there.”

 

“You think?”

 

They laughed.

 

“Sorry, I just. I just need to know.”

 

“Why don’t you ask her? Lance just updated me and they seem to be getting along well.”

 

“Yeah? I guess she doesn’t remember calling out my name.”

 

Keith looked at the man he saw as his older brother. The man who took him in and raised him as his own blood. He had never seen him with a look as dispirited as he was showing. “You should really talk to her. I don’t think she’ll hurt you.”

 

The Black Paladin scoffed.

 

“Shiro-” 

 

“Guys! Guys!” Lance yelled “We know where Sam Holt is.”

**Author's Note:**

> So...this is my first ever fanfic. I was in a total Voltron slump after season 4 and I needed SOMETHING to satisfy my voltron needs. I'm a huge Shidge shipper (pls don't send hate. Obviously I prefer it if Pidge were older. 10-year gaps do exist, people. and I'm sure a lot of us have had crushes on older people. Shidge is such a slow burn and I'm definitely going to write on that sooner or later.) I haven't decided which ships to put in here. Although I am leaning toward klance. And the oc is obviously shipped with shiro. But I plan on putting some crushes here and there. *wink wink* Lotor is sketchy. At least, I hope that's how I portray him so far. The paladins have all spent some amount of time with Lotor. Only to find that he is quite likeable. Still deadly. But likeable. Except for allura. With the way she reacted when she found out Keith was part galra and her demeanor toward the blade of marmora. I'm sure keeping a Galra Prince in her castle will certainly set her off. Ah, I'm rambling. Stay tuned for chapter 2! And leave some constructive comments and suggestions. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed. or at least liked it. but if not. then that's okay. I did have fun writing this. and hopefully i finish it. Leave comments, suggestions, or things you'd like to happen. (Klance, Shunk, or whatever else ships you guys want that will be possible for this story)


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